Abstract
We investigate the effects that lateral variations in thickness of very soft surficial deposits have on seismic motions. We find that smooth geometrical irregularities can be associated with strong effects of local amplification of the surface motion and with large increase of the duration of the signals. These phenomena can be invoked to explain the pronounced spatial variability of damages observed in Mexico City. The theoretical study indicates that the amplitude and duration of the motion can change drastically at two close locations. The map of observed damages shows that the maximum destruction occurred in zones where the surficial deposits exhibit lateral variations in thickness.
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